Books / Environment
‘Tomorrow is Too Late’ – the new climate emergency book by 16-year-old
Committed climate activist Grace Maddrell has written a book on the climate emergency that she started when she was just 14.
Grace, who used to live in Bristol before moving to Frome, has collected essays from young climate activists across the world in Tomorrow is Too Late.
With contributors aged between eight and 25 from Brazil and Burundi to Pakistan and Palestine, the collection of essays offers a manifesto for how readers can engage, educate, and inspire change for a more hopeful future.
With voices from people across the world, the book highlights how a younger generation is being affected by the impacts of climate change – and how they are responding.
Grace, 16, has also written an article for the Independent about how world leaders are making “catastrophic” decisions climate decisions.
“World leaders don’t have a right to make these choices, to trade people’s lives for their own money and power, and the fact that they do it all the same makes me furious,” said Grace.
Speaking to Bristol24/7, Grace said that it was mainly through Twitter that it was possible to find such a vast range of youth activists.
“About 95 per cent of my contributors were found through Twitter. I put out several tweets about it and very quickly got DMs from lots of interested activists.”
ahhhh it was so surreal to go into my local bookshop and find out that they already had copies of #TomorrowIsTooLate!!
(and credit to them for the photos!) pic.twitter.com/N7VVd7okvJ
— Grace *Tomorrow Is Too Late out now!* (@ElmGrace) September 30, 2021
In 2018, Bristol declared a climate emergency and pledged to become net-zero by 2030. And whilst there has been some reason for optimism for achieving that journey, Grace says there is still a long way for Bristol and the country as a whole to go.
“Net-zero is a phrase that is very easy to say and sometimes means absolutely nothing. So I wouldn’t be surprised to find the same ‘creative’ carbon accounting happening in Bristol as is happening in the country as a whole. I’m sure that Bristol, like the rest of the UK and much of the world, needs to do better.”
Tomorrow Is Too Late is available to buy now.
Main photo: Grace Maddrell
Read more: How Bristol can become the first net-zero city
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